Analysis of Q Front Cover

Q is a magazine that covers all different types of music, making it a very versatile music magazine, appealing to all music fans. This is reflected through the use of three major stars from different genres of music being featured on the front cover. To anchor this image are the salmon coloured strap lines, matching the colours of the centre heading at the top of the page and the background colour of the listings of other artists included within the magazine. This shows a theme in colour. The strap lines state boldly the names of the three artists. Underneath each of these is a quote taken from interviews with them from inside the magazine. The masthead is situated on the top left hand side of the page and uses a large font. As the magazine's name uses only one letter, it becomes bolder as it is large in comparison to other words and images on the page. The letter 'Q' is printed in white onto a red square, therefore making red the dominant colour of this masthead. The red contrasts with the white used for the lettering and background. As well as the top and bottom strip lines being black, the artists in the main image are dressed in black, contrasting with the other three colours involved, maintaining the colour consistency throughout. Adding weight to the top strip is a brief description of this issue's main focus point, highlighted by the use of the salmon coloured circle. To the right there is a red circle containing the number '42', and below in a smaller font is information on their music reviews. Attached to this is a smaller black circle. Within this is an even smaller font giving information on a particular artist featured in this magazine.

Analysis of MOJO contents page

The contents page of MOJO is simple. It lists its contents down the right hand side, each under a specific category (heading). The left hand side is filled with photographs and other images linking in with the magazine. These pictures are arranged in a collage format instead of lined next to one another in an organised fashion. They are chosen to peak the curiosity of the reader. The captions are also purposefully witty or mysterious. The bottom space is dedicated to a section on the issues contributors. Each small paragraph are mini biographies of each individual. There are different colours used for the different aspects of the contents, i.e. page numbers in gold and headers in red, actual contents in black. This adds clarity. The sections of the contents are separated into 'regulars' (i.e obituaries, reader's letters), a section that concentrates on recalling events in pop music in a particular year, and the bulk of the magazine comes under the third heading – 'The MOJO Filter' – which features reviews of current albums, DVDs, books etc. Thus the regular reader will know exactly where to turn to for his/her favourite section whilst the new reader will turn to whatever item appeals to him/her.

Flat Plan of Music Magazine

    










This is a flat plan on my music magazine's front page. It includes the title, Melodies choice, a main picture, and  headings of what's inside. It also states that there is a freebie inside. I added this as people like to get something free with a magazine, meaning my magazine may be more successful than if it was without something. I used Mojo as inspiration when designing this as I think that the target audience of my music magazine is similar to Mojo's therefore their front page I think would appeal to my audience. Of course I adapted their layout to suit Melodies Choice's image and my own style and creativity.

     This is my contents page in flat plan form. For this page I decided to swap around the name of the magazine to the circle in corner, and replace its space with the title of the current page. I did this because it maintains the same type of layout as the front  page showing consistency throughout the magazine. I decided to include the title of the magazine on the contents page because I think it emphasizes and therefore promotes itself within its contents. For inspiration on this page I used the design of Q magazine. I chose this one because it is plain and simple and easy to read, whereas the contents page of NME is a more cluttered and this makes it difficult to focus.

Target Audience Profile

Before starting my music magazine I did a brainstorm. This included the genre of my music magazine, its contents, its target audience, including their demographics and psychographics. My brain storm, left, concluded that my magazine will be aimed at a more 'Indie' scene of music lovers. Unlike magazines such a 'Grazia', my music magazine articles and advertisements will all be music related. My target audience will focus more on the music side of artists, rather than the gossip side. This is also why the demographic can by any income, as the magazine won't be too expensive, and there will be no off-topic advertisements included.   

My music magazine is aiming at male and female of ages 16-21.  The demographics of this magazine would be mostly indie, interested in music festivals, live shows and of course, lots of music! The collage I have assembled above shows the interests and  activities of my target audience. 

Preliminary Task - School Magazine

Flat Plan of preliminary Magazine

Doing a flat plan of my preliminary school magazine meant that i was able to see it on paper before I put it on the computer. Working with a pen allowed me to become more creative as I am new to Photoshop. Once i had put the designs onto photoshop I was able to experiment with the different fonts and effects, making it look more like a magazine. 

Analysis of contents page

This is my analysis of the presentation on the preliminary task I carried out. It is laid out clearly, showing my analysis on my front page, contents page and original image.

The front page of 'La Swap News' has a photograph taken by me as its background. I have used consistent colours for the header and information boxes. I have also used one font throughout to keep the theme the same. Using Photoshop, I was able to manipulate my image by giving it a painted brushed effect. Photoshop also allowed me to crop the image, altering the main focus point of the image. Adding the text to anchor this image was simple, as Photoshop  allows you to place text behind of in front other layers easily. This meant that I could add coloured rectangles behind each piece of text, giving a more creative and artistic look to the front cover.

I used the same skills to create the contents page. I was able to arrange the images so that the text could still be seen as I placed the words in front of the pictures. This was done by using layers. Photoshop allows me to put different layers in front or behind one another, enabling different images and texts to overlap and be seen. 

Original Photos